Know or Grow

Penny Says: We should all know where and when to go if we can't grow our own garden.

It is planting time around most of the Canada and for the many who have decided to plant a garden and grow their own veggies this summer I say! GOOD JOB!

For those of us without a plot of our own (or a sunny patio box) there is always the farmers market. I think we all know we should be buying locally grown fresh produce straight from the farmer. But with supermarkets that lack seasons we conveniently reach for those out of season shipped in fruits and veggies even in the summer. I though I was being so savvy a couple of years ago because I was buying local produce when it was available at the grocery store. Well it turns out that buying from the farmer is a better way. Did you know that last season (09) local apple growers in BC sold their apples to the distributor for 12 cents per pound. I bet you paid around a dollar a pound at the grocery store for that same apple. I drove up to the apple orchard and bought my apples fresh picked for 20 cents per pound and skipped the grocery store all together. The grower made more money and I saved money (seems like crazy math but cutting out the middle man = profits for farmers and savings for people like you).

There are thousands of good reasons to buy local food for a ton of them you can go to Food Routes and check out their well put together website about the importance of buying local.

My personal reasons are simple, it tastes amazing, it is fun to meet the people who grew your squash, and it is CHEAPER than the grocery store. Plus a lot of the food at farmers markets has not been sprayed with pesticides or waxes just ask them if they sprayed it and they will tell you.

Living in BC I am fortunate to have access to some pretty decent farms and farmers markets. To find a farmers market close to your house you can use google maps just search farmers market, your city name here .

Knowing where to buy is only half the battle. Locally grown food is only available when it is in season. The produce is always the best price when it is most plentiful so if you are planning to make roasted Roma tomatoes and freeze enough for the winter (and you should they are awesome) you should buy them when the farmer has way to many coming ripe at the same time (best bet around here is late July - ask your local growers for your best bet).

Why not take the time this year to can, freeze, and preserve the taste of summer and keep more of your money in your pocket all winter long! Here are some websites that can give you a refresher or get you started. 4 ways to preserve Canning freezing vegetables Salsa, Chutney, Pickles, and Relish

If you are making baby food and buying organic produce your bills will be just as high as buying it in a jar! But if you go to you local farmers market and ask your favorite vender about their farming practices you will probably find they are a no spray environmentally friendly and non-toxic farm - although they may not have filled the miles of paperwork to become certified organic. Tell them you are making baby food and buy your veggies in bulk for an even bigger discount. Most veggies (squash, potatoes, carrots, peas, spinach, lentils, beets) can be roasted or steamed, pureed (in blender or food processor) , and frozen in icecube trays and stored in freezer bags for 6 - 12 months. You just have to heat and serve. check out these page for helpful baby food recipes. Wholesome Baby Homemade baby food This way you know your baby is getting healthy food without added salt, sugar or preservatives! Plus you are cutting back on waste buy not buying all those plastic or glass jars of food (3 a day for a year really adds up).

Here is a quick list of the harvest seasons for some of the yummy local produce in BC.

BC Locally Grown Foods and Approximate Harvest Dates

Asparagus April - June (mid)
Herbs April - October

Greenhouse tomatoes May - July
Peas May (late) -July
Lettuce May (late) - September
Rhubarb May (late) - July

Strawberries June - July
Radishes June - September
Tomatoes June - October
Broccoli June - September

Cherries July
Blackberries July - August
Blueberries July - August
Apricots July (mid) - August (early)
Raspberries July - October
Summer Squashes July - September
Cucumbers July - September
Garlic July - October
Beans July - October
Beets July - September
Peppers July (late) - September (late)
Peaches July (late)- August (late)
Figs July (late) - September

Hot Peppers August (early) - September (late)
Cantaloupe August (early) - October
Sweet Corn August - September
Watermelon August - September
Prunes/Plums August (mid)- September (early)
Pears August (mid)– October (early)
Apples August (mid) - October (late)
Winter Squash August (late) - October

Pumpkins September -October
Grapes September - October

Corn Corn everywhere but not a drop of nutrition to eat!

Penny Says: Now I know why there is corn in my everything!!!

Previously I questioned the corn in my coffee cup but at that point in time the whole picture was not yet clear... It is all clear now thanks to Douglas Coupland's hilarious book Generation A, a couple of documentaries (see below) and a few good Google searches (High Fructose Corn Syrup).

Documentaries you must endeavor to find.
King Corn. This aired on PBS so you can probably watch it on their site PBS

Food Inc.

Warning Food inc is not for the squeamish in fact start with King Corn and then if you still want to know more move on to Food inc.

I am not anti corn, I love a nice cob done on the BBQ at the end of summer and the peek of freshness. But the stuff that they grow in Taber AB and Chilliwack BC that we buy off the back of a farmers truck or at farmers market in August each year is edible corn that needs time and space to grow.
However, most of the corn grown in the United States (and unfortunately in Canada too) is not edible fresh off the cob. It needs to be shipped, stored, and processed before it can become food stuffs.... WHAT THE HELL.... Ask a Corn farmer in Ohio if they eat what they grow - Good Gawd No - is the reply...
REALLY!!! REALLY! THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GROWING OVER 1000 ACRES OF THE SHIT????
Easy answer - Government subsidies and demand.
Who on earth would buy this shit you ask... well lets start with what contains these modified corn products?

North American food products are loaded in modified corn products from starch to dextrin to high fructose corn syrup, get up and read the labels of any of the processed foods in your house you will be shaking your head right after...
Got chocolate milk? Its got corn.
fruit juices - seriously some of these have no fruit at all just natural flavors (what are those?) and you guessed it - Corn syrup.
Bread - well how else could they get that pretty Carmel color with our using high fructose corn syrup (umm gee maybe using honey- duh)....
Every chip, cracker and crisp on the market is loaded in boiled down corn called high fructose corn syrup.
Beef - please it is basically made of fat generated by corn fed feed lot protocols
And the biggest use of High fructose corn syrup - Soda Pop -YUP thats why it is oh so sweet.

In fact, I think this whole phenomenon of using a sugar alternative (we would not want to be reliant on importing sugar cane from Cuba etc) is to meet the demands of Coke and Pepsi for a super cheep sweetening agent for soda. I am not blaming them - just a little confused about why the American Government farm subsidy program would be using tax payers dollars for the last 30 years to give a major corporation like Coke or Pepsi a break... Do they want food products that are full of harmful empty calories fed to the people of their great nation? Do they want 1 out of 8 Americans to have diabetes induced by pure overload of the pancreas? REALLY??????

As far as the fairly newly created Beef industry problem - Once a rancher sells cattle to the feed lot (like Cargil feeding the world at what cost) the Cattle are fed corn for 100 - 160 days in a feed lot where they have little room to move around (exercise burn those precious calories) ensuring they fatten up fast and cheep.
Everyone seems to agree that Grass fed beef tastes better, is 65% lower in saturated fats (the bad ones) and is so much kinder to the animals stomachs (and my moral conscience). But it is more economical to feeding Cattle corn not grass which they have evolved eating but this cost cutting measure leads to many problems including ulcers and acidosis in the cattle and a huge problem for the people eating them massive potential for out breaks of resistant E coli bacteria).

Okay so I am ranting and panicking that everything I buy is not what it seems. (Damn those fast and easy Chinese food sauces I love are full of corn because they are made in USA). The solution vote with your wallet - buy products that are what they are... Milk that is milk (add your own coco if need be), beef that is beef (an not an antibiotic filled corn fat factory), and just don't drink sweetened beverages (this includes all those fruit drinks we let our kids drink for breakfast). If you find a brand that is not using sweeteners to mock flavor reward them buy purchasing them exclusively or even write them a letter if you have the time to tell them how much you appreciate there quality! ALSO TELL YOUR GROCERY MARKET YOU ONLY BUY THIS BRAND BECAUSE.....

Support the grass fed beef in your community. There will be more of it for a better price if we as consumers encourage our supermarkets and local meat shops to provide it. Check out your local farmers market and ask the vendors if they have free range meats. Ask for details and they will tell you exactly what the animals ate, where, and for how long before they were your steak.

I am afraid if you want to avoid hidden high fructose corn syrup (and other sugars) you can't eat processed food from fast food restaurants like Mc D's or DQ and the like. Read the labels watch for corn starch, corn dextrin, and Corn syrup. Decide if you want those extra calories and look for alternatives I bet they will taste better!

Corporations bottom lines, and government farm subsidy programs should not dictate your health - you are in charge of what you put in your mouth. It may mean expanding your food budget or just putting in more time making food from scratch but in the end you will be healthier and I bet you will take pleasure in feeding your family.


PS did you know that most Yogurts contain gelatin (not news for carnivores but for the vegetarians and peoples who do not eat pork you did just eat pork gelatin in your activia, silhouette, danonne, and pc brand yogurts). If you want gelatin free with no added weirdness (and no corn) Astro is the way to go their plain, and vanilla Balkan styles are still good for you... They are what they say they are - that is all I ask.

Just when you think you might have a talent

Penny says - holy crap that is swish - so glad I found HipBip



Peter Callesen is obviously amazing.



It was just printer paper but now it is incredible, awe inspiring and very well done ART and also sometimes a little creepy.




Also I don't think I have ever received a love note or even a real note at all now that I have seen how this deity speaks her mind. Julene has a talent that I truly hope pays her way through life because it is wonderful. Small things like hand stitched notes in clothing also amaze me but that is another story. If you want to leave a note or say something to someone I think it should be this pretty.

Penny Says : Mirror Mirror on the wall who is the most awesome of all

A Little Narcissism could go a long way to getting what you want in life. In order to think you deserve that raise, that promotion or even that new job, you really need to feel that you are the best person and this is the time for you to get the opportunity.

To feel so strongly that no one else could possibly be as good scratch that - as great as you will be at this particular thing. Truly narcissistic people feel that they put on their socks better than anyone ever has before, they do their best to be modest (hey I guess they have the be the best at everything even being modest), but ultimately they think that they deserve the accolades never giving a thought to the others who did not receive them- all without any undermining or intentional negativity towards anyone.

They have a way about them a smirk with a glimmer in their eye and a caviler jaunt in their step. To be envious of no one but a younger stronger version of themselves surely is not a burden that needs to be concurred.

You might think that this could only be a good thing, you would be happy if you thought you were the best. The problem becomes that they are always looking for the ideal partner, ideal moment, more success, a better job, a more powerful position.

The line between a healthy dose of self-importance and an actual personality disorder that could ruin your life is thin and easily crossed. To be constantly obsessed with obtaining your rightful place as the richest, most powerful and truly brilliant person would be an exhausting and ultimately only disappointing quest. Don't forget all the time you need to devote to getting all the applause you crave. Although having half a million followers on twitter could be a fast way to feel important, it may not be enough for our narcissistic personalities. Is a narcissist able to enjoy the moment, to stop for a second and appreciate the amazing things they have achieved, to breath in the love they have shared with an amazing partner, to really appreciate the heights they have climbed? Or are they always haunted by the higher mountain peek, the younger more attractive partner, the king of the world position that has eluded them, or the fictional power of God they can never truly have.

Maybe realistic perspective is not such a bad thing to have – opportunities may come slower but at least you can be fairly certain they are real when they do arrive.

Penny Says it takes a village so quit trying to do it by yourself

People have been have been living successful lives for centuries. Yet there is no methodology to follow to succeed. Everyone is unique and requires a subtly different lifestyle to be happy. But the basics are the same, physical safety, financial security, a handful of people who love them, and a place that you can always to come back to called home.

Whether you are nomadic or a homebody needing people to love support and guide you are essential. This is commonly referred to as your network. Networking has been coined as one of the most important tools in a successful person’s repertoire.

Yet the essential social interactions that lead to a diverse and supportive network are not taught in school, or passed on from parent to child. Every individual is left to fend for themselves and strive for their best with out a net or a network to catch them if they fall.

In many cultures children belong to the neighborhood, rooming in packs from house to house, being cared for and looked after by the whole village. North Americans teach there children to fear non-familial adults and are shameful of their children being seen as latchkey kids. There is nothing wrong with a child having their own space, independence, and learning to be a good judge of character. But telling them to lock the door and stay inside until you get home from work is probably not the best solution to your scheduling difficulties.

In Canada and the USA it is expected that once you leave your parents house, you get a job, partner up, buy some type of home, have babies and raise them with all that knowledge your working parents imparted to you! How are two working parents and a daycare supposed to single handedly raise a child or three? Simple don’t go back to work. Wrong answer according to most women even though daycare is expensive and you no longer get to spend the day with your baby it remains the most popular childcare choice. The cost of childcare is way out of whack with the standard income and we have not even touched on the standard of care that children are getting. Yet it is still financially necessary to get back to work to have the money coming in even though more than half of it ends up going to daycare. With so many couples desperately trying to get pregnant and have babies, it makes me wonder why those couples are not more active in raising the children and bringing reform to childcare in our culture. Perhaps it is more about the status of having kids than the journey of raising future contributing members of our society.

Kids are adorable and the most magnetic they will ever be – yet we shy away from letting strangers coo and awe over them, and we actively train them to avoid talking to strangers (ie. networking). Is it that parents want to keep these precocious little beings to themselves? Or perhaps we are just so afraid of strangers imprinting their ways on our progeny. People will say it is all about Stranger Danger but statistically speaking you will never encounter a person who will want to steal or hurt your child. Sociopaths exist and it is terrible when one of them gets their hands on a victim but chances are slim to none that they live, work, or play in your upper middle class neighborhood. See Penn & Tellers Bullsh!t episode 609: Stranger Danger for more details.

My point I guess is that there may not be a right way to raise kids but it takes a village to do it no matter which method you choose. Use your network and teach them to build one of their own!

This New Year already needs a new outlook

Penny Can't Stop Complaining

I have realized that all of the bummer news about the stock market tanking, the wars, the job loses, and the tiny little fact that I have not achieved all that I thought I would at this stage in my life has lead me to turn into a Negative Nancy. And to top it all off I have been beating myself up for complaining and thinking negatively constantly.
So to bounce back to my Positive Penny self I was reading some blogs on being positive and how to stop complaining all the time. Steve Pavlina is a used to be slacker GenXer never-do-well, turned super productive entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker, and generally upbeat rich guy. He has a blog focused on personal development that seems to be relatively free of the creepy hippy garbage that keeps me out of the self help section of bookstores. He also has articles on the top 10 reasons you should never have a religion, and reasons to never get a job. Think they are worth a read just for fun.

I have also found a site called The Happiness Project that documents every which way under the sun, moon, and stars to get happy and stay that way. Who knew you could turn your own misery into a book project.....

I am betting that many of you are sick of hearing the fear, negativity, and economic doom and gloom - Read some blogs, turn the other cheek and try to look at things with a fresh positive take.
I will if you will.....

Here on the west coast the spring flowers have just started to poke their little green bits out of the soil they are taking their shot and hoping for the best.

Meowy Catmuss

Penny and Pacey think the cats said it best this year!

Money, Money, Money,

Penny Says:

My favorite virtual gal-pal, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, just released a a product that can help everyone! a budget binder / day planner - If you are still using paper day planners this needs to be the one you get because it keeps you focused on money / savings / and your budget.


I recommend reading Gail's blog - lately she has been writing almost daily - providing lots of topics for everyone to enjoy.

Also I think many people can benefit from checking out her plentiful website - budget worksheets, helpful hints, and stories! Talking about money does not have to be stressful or socially unacceptable!

http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/

Her Reality TV show, Till Debt to Us Part, is usually funny, eye-opening, and allows a little voyeurism into other Canadians lives. It airs on TV on Slice network, Or if you don't subscribe to cable TV - you can go online and watch her shows in 4 part segments (quick loading streaming) at SLICE

Gail is a kind, no-nonsense, practical lady who has revealed every trick people use to fool themselves into spending more money than they make.

I hope you enjoy her as much as we do!

Goin' to the Cup

On CFL week 7, Rider fans were elated at their 6-0 record welcoming the 'lowley' 3-3 Stampeders to do battle in Saskatchewan, laughing up a possible Grey Cup repeat victory in '08 and (maybe) a perfect season. Give me a break. That .500 Stampeders team not only beat you all at home, but went 10 - 2 the rest of the regular season ('Riders went 6-7), hosted the West Final (where were the 'Riders?), and went on to the Grey Cup . Saskatchewan was a terrible team this year, and yet none of their "most intelligent fans in the CFL" realized their team was terrible losing to a factually superior 3-3 team at home.

Fittingly, the 'Stamps go to the Finals the year I earn my Ph. D. Lovely stuff.

Quick props to the Vancouver Canucks, who finally came up with a good logo, albeit one that is regulated to their shoulder:

Happy Pumpkin Day

Penny Says: Boo!


From Ghouls to princesses my favorite thing about Halloween by far is Bright Orange Pumpkins.

According to Wiki 1.5 billion pounds of Pumpkin is grown in the United States (alone) and Pumpkin is a successfully grown crop on all continents but Antarctica.

They are most likely to be jack-o-lanterns today but most days they should really be food. But for today check out You-tube pumpkin carving and I am sure you will find a few great how-to-guides on Carving the best Pumpkin.

What a waste it would be to let the giant buckets of half price Holiday pumpkins turn to mush!
Buy them and eat them! YUM! For recipes Ideas visit sites like http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Pumpkin-Recipes/Detail.aspx

Its a big orange squash - roast it, boil it, mash it, cube it, spice it, sweeten it, or even BBQ it!

Like all Big orange veggies, Pumpkin is loaded in Beta-carotene, and Vits' E, C, A, B's. All the good stuff with tons of flavor. Plus the seeds are loaded in only the Greatest of fats ! To diabetic to eat a tonne of pumpkin - roast up the seeds with your favorite low sodium seasoning and enjoy!

Check out this great looking dish and try it yourself! Roasted Quail and Pumpkin

Gobble Gobble Zzzzzz Zzzzz

Penny Says:
Happy Thanksgiving and Turkey Day !!!!

After all the hard work of gardening and keeping up with the weeds its nice to think that even the busiest of growers get to sit and enjoy a fall feast. The sweetest squash, the freshest veggies and the juiciest turkey are a reward for most! (all but the bird)
For some a cooking a ham sweet and succulent is the best way to encourage the family to drive to Grandma's to visit, chat, laugh and of course eat.













I think the best part of thanksgiving turkey preparation is the giggles that come from the ol' turkey on the head gag!










No people that are not being paid as actors ever do this but if they did I would laugh for days and days.




Happy Thanksgiving!

The perfection of Autumn

Penny Says:
Sometimes with all the stress and bustle that comes with September we forget to look up and watch the perfect colors and shapes. Take a break play in the leaves you just raked!




Pacey recently noted that the months are numbered wrong. The prefixes are not appropriate for their numerical monthly match - you would expect that Sept-ember would be the 7th month, Oct-ober (8th), Nov-ember (9th), Dec-ember the 10th. But most of us use the Gregorian calendar a reformed version of the Julian calendar which is a reformed version of the Roman calender all of which seem to be lunar shifts. The reforms were necessary to keep Easter and celebrations in tune with the actual celestial event they reflected Spring Equinox. It turns out that several days of the year fell under an unnamed months, this was corrected and leap days were added and now we have to remember that September is the 9th month of the year not the Seventh as its name suggests! To read all about it go to Wiki and get your fill.

These days I care less about what its called and more about the pleasure of bonus summer like days with cool evenings and all of those beautiful crispy leaves!


But in our neck of the woods we have to watch where we step as the creatures of fall are often right beneath your feet!!

The other colors of September are pretty great too - but I don't suggest jumping in the river with these Salmon no matter how pretty they are!

Get out there and enjoy the perfection of Autumn!

Stupid people are rational

Pacey says:

I’m beginning to think that stupid people are indeed rational, but what they do is deceive themselves by asking themselves questions so that they can arrive at the answers they want rationally. It is a way of framing the discussion.

For instance, when it comes to belief in deities, a believer will not ask themselves critically what is the best evidence. Moreover, they will ask themselves questions that will land them into a cognitive loophole where there the existence can be rationally believed. Such people may throw the onus onto others to come up with a non-deity universe and play gotcha with any gaps in the presented theory, falsely believing that the deity-filled universe is a default condition. Others will invoke Pascal’s Wager, a risk aversion method contingent on the possibility of a vengeful deity actually existing. Many point to the popular belief in deities as evidence they are onto something, or that belief in deities is persistent over time as a good reason to believe. The commonalities between these is that they stop asking questions once they’ve rationally reached the answer they wanted to get to all along, in this case that their favourite deity exists, but then resist to rationally analyze and criticize their conclusions.

Using reason to support poor decisions is quite pervasive among intelligent people. People who are depressed will explain their depression as a result of a series of equations that all rationally support, say, personal failure, and ignore or discount all personal triumphs because they would rationally detract from the conclusion of the depressed mind.

Commonly, global warming proponents will employ the highest levels of reason, not to criticize, examine, and strengthen their own position, but to weaken vigorous skeptics. Too often, environmentalists will use the very logical fallacies and exploit the same deceptive rhetorical devices that they would reflexively point out in their opponents. In many cases, environmentalists closely resemble rational theists in the argumentative tactics.

One of the most perplexing, yet common, situations where intelligent people deceive themselves is use of their credit card. Sadly, these practices are well known to creditors who allow and encourage their customers to lead themselves to financial destruction. Most people understand how interest works, and that debts accelerate rapidly, and they do so coolly and rationally. However, at the point of purchase, these same rational thinking people will employ self-deceptive techniques to rationalize frivolous spending (“…but, I deserve this”, “so what? I’m already in debt”, “I’ll make up the difference later”, “the kids are worth it”, “the Jones’ need to know that I can do it too”). In fact, many financial planners and accountants (who calculate debits and credits professionally) cannot apply what they do to escape their own financial ruin. Creditors love to know that their customers are fooling themselves (albeit rationally, and often with the best of intentions) into forking over lifetimes of cash, but it is so sad, really. Rarely is the debt actually worth the reward.

In posting this, I asked myself “was this the best way I could make my point in this blog?” So, I looked in the mirror, asked, and the mirror responded “Yes, yes it is, and you look fabulous”. I then rationally deduced that I had satisfied all criteria in posting.

*click*

Random Thoughts from American Idol:

Pacey Says:

Random Thoughts from American Idol:

-Overall, this season showed out of touch AI producers are out of touch with contestants, where the majority of contestants were born in the late-80s / early 90s. Theme nights included 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, (not 1990s or 2000s), two Beatles weeks, Dolly Parton, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Neil Diamond. If you were born in, say, 1990, and your parents were born in 1970, only your great grandparents would have even been alive when the Beatles wrote Sgt. Pepper. Only two weeks were explicitly contemporary (Songs from birth year and …. Mariah Carey), and the kids’ song choices routinely bewildered the judges.

-I believe this season was Simon Cowell’s first exposure to a Mormon. When David A. picked a seemingly obscure song (“You’re The Voice”), he seemed to accuse David of having been coached to pick such an odd song. That song is actually used prominently in Mormon dances, and I’m certain David A. knows all the words by heart.

-Mormons again learned another hard lesson in the finale: prayer doesn’t work.

-David C. thinks he has the best taste in music that the show has ever seen, and you know he believes it when you see the smug smirk he puts on when he unveils a Whitesnake cover song or a song by Switchfoot. The veil that covers his insufferable snobbishness is a thin one.

-People seem pleased that Cook won as a sign that American Idol can approach ‘artistic integrity’. I’m not going to lie to you: I listen to a lot of modern music. That said, I have found the genre Post-Grunge to be the one with the least redeeming qualities. If someone thinks artistic integrity is found in someone who sings Collective Soul and Switchfoot (who?) songs competitively and sincerely thinks Our Lady Peace is their favourite band of all time, they need to give their head a shake.

-The addition of Andrew Lloyd Webber this season was fantastic.

-There was definitely something wrong this season when Jason’s phoned-in performances saw him outlasting Carly or Michael Johns.

-Amanda wants to get as far away from Idol as possible, and her performance last night proved that she didn’t want to be there.

-Maybe I’m being too hard on the winner, but I can’t get past the irksome smugness, the post-grunge (awful music), and the fact that he was the inferior singer of the final two.

Deep Thoughts

Pacey and Penny list our favourite Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy:

Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that, I'll be over here, looking through your stuff.

If you ever drop your keys in a river of molten lava, let them go because man they're gone.

If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy.

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.

I wish a robot would get elected president. That way, when he came to town, we could all take a shot at him and not feel too bad.

When I was a kid my favorite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school we'd all go play in his cave, and every once in a while he would eat one of us. It wasn't until later that I found out that Uncle Caveman was a bear.

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is, "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is, "Probably because of something you did."

Sometimes when I feel like killing someone, I do a little trick to calm myself down. I'll go over to the persons house and ring the doorbell. When the person comes to the door, I'm gone, but you know what I've left on the porch? A jack-o-lantern with a knife stuck in the side of it's head with a note that says "You." After that I usually feel a lot better, and no harm done.

It takes a big man to cry, but it takes an even bigger man to laugh at that man.

Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling.

If you're in the war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at some guys, throw one of those little baby-type pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think of how crazy war is, and while they're thinking, you can throw a real grenade.

When you go in for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges.

If God dwells inside us, like some people say, I sure hope he likes enchiladas, because that's what he's getting.

I remember as a boy watching my grandfather get up early every Saturday morning, put on his fishing gear and go down to the river to fish. He'd come home in the afternoon and we'd all laugh at him. However we weren't laughing when he came back one day with a hooker he picked up in town.

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.

One good thing about hell, at least, is that you can probably pee wherever you want to.

As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing more than a bunch of honking and yelling? Sometimes it seemed that way.

If I ever get real rich, I hope I'm not real mean to poor people, like I am now.

The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.

Fantasy Sports

Pacey Says:

Managing a Fantasy Sports team is a great time-killer. It just so happens that I am actually quite good at these things, particularly hockey and baseball. Currently, my hockey team is in the Championship Bracket of a league of 14 teams. With two days to go, I am leading my opponent 6 categories to 5, and looking for my 4th championship in 6 seasons. While my opponent has completely structured his team around waiver acquisitions, my team largely resembles the team I drafted in September.

I have a knack for drafting well. I know that scoring would be at a premium and that regular (not necessarily spectacular) goaltending would keep me near the top of the league. I also know that guys like Modano would be outscored by guys like Ribeiro, and that Prospal would play most of the season between two scoring champions in Tampa Bay. While an outstanding season by Ovechkin has no doubt made my team a consistent threat to win, I think late round selections like Ribeiro and Prospal (both nearly a-point-a-game players) have actually put me over the top with scoring depth. Also, the consistent starts by goalies on mediocre teams (Khabibulin and Ward) proved to have better fantasy value than good goalies on good teams (like Gerber/Emery). With these players, and others, I maintained 1st place every single week of the season and now find myself with a chance to take the Championship.

I also draft well in baseball, but this season was weird for me because I didn't play last year, so I didn't have a particularly good feel about who to draft and what positions would be crucial. I took an hour (that's all I need) before the draft to essentially figure out what happened in baseball last season. My first pick was a player I'd never heard of before draft day (Hanley Ramirez) because he was the consensus 'best player' after A-Rod. One thing I made clear was that drafting the only good catcher in baseball was going to be key. So, after the first two rounds, where I would simply draft the best player available, I reached for Victor Martinez with my third pick (27th overall). I appears that 30th was the average draft position for V-Mart, so it was reassuring that I didn't reach too far to land the only impact player at the shallowest position in the game, catcher. In previous leagues, I've always put a priority on catcher because I hated seeing that position waste away in my fantasy lineup, and now that I have the guy I want it affords me a tremendous advantage over other fantasy teams.

It's still early in baseball, and my team isn't off to the greatest start (and V-Mart got a minor injury keeping him out of my lineup for a few days), but I think I will win my first head-to-head matchup. I'm confident I drafted well enough to be competitive this year, and I'm sure I'll have a ton of fun playing fantasy baseball all summer.

Oh hey, the Canucks are going to have a new logo! Check it out, I think it suits them:

Equinox

Penny Says: YIPPEE SPRING IS HERE !!!!

No time to blog must go out and smell the flowers!!

I just wanted to congratulate all of you brave folks on surviving another Canadian winter!

Now get outside and soak up some vitamin D! Oh and enjoy some Easter Candy -

I think the purple peeps are umm loaded in anti-oxidants - they must be good for you they are purple - what purple food is not good for you!

Documentary Obsessions

Pacey says:

It doesn't take much energy to find some of the most acclaimed documentaries in the history of film by simply Googling. Between Google and the library, I am able to track down nearly everything my curiosity craves. Over the past number of weeks I have watched a number of these great films. Below is a sample of what is out there:

Grizzly Man - A young man thinks he can live with and 'protect' grizzly bears in the wild, until things turn tragic. Using his own camera, the man films some of the most surreal (non-CGI) of a man interacting with bears ever captured, as he offers his insights and philosophies. A movie worthy of Herzog.

Little Deiter Needs to Fly* - Another harrowing Herzog doc about a POW who escapes and lives in the jungles of SE Asia until his rescue.

Fog Of War - Perhaps the best documentary I've ever seen. A movie about a former US Secretary of Defense may not sound fascinating, but Robert McNamara insights are completely compelling as he outlines his 11 lessons of war. Issues covering WWII, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam are covered extensively. Skillfully directed by Errol Morris.

Burden of Dreams * - BoD documents the making of Herzog's Fitzcarraldo, revealing the hardships of a near-Herculean effort to pull a steamship over a mountain on location in the Amazon and film it. Herzog's monologue about the obscenity of the jungle is captivating stuff.

Jesus Camp - An unflinching view if indoctrination of children to be soldiers for The Great Ceiling Cat Baby Jesus in Colorado. This one could also be classified as a horror movie, as the events shown could possibly be categorized as child abuse.

Crumb - Robert Crumb is a counterculture cartoonist that rose to near-prominence in 60's San Fransisco. The documentary unveils Crumb's somewhat disturbing psychology and the psychology of his comparatively more disturbed family. Crumb is a true talent and a compelling figure.

Dark Days - Underground film making in it's most literal sense, Dark Days documents the lives and philosophies of people who live in the subway tunnels of New York. They're not homeless in the traditional sense because they've developed an actual community with electricity, water, and infrastructure, but this is truly a bizarre way of life among the rats.

Atomic Cafe - A great non-narrated compilation of propaganda produced and distributed in the USA during the Cold War 50's. Head scratching at times, but more often than not this movie is hilarious. "Dad Knows Best", "bomb them before they bomb us" rhetoric, and Duck and Cover scenes can induce belly-laughs, but can be shocking if you imagine yourself a 50's Russian watching this and thinking that their enemy is obviously crazy.

Baadassss!* - Great flick about the making of what is arguably the first blaxploitation movie Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song in a cultural and business climate that resists images of black power. Insightful and funny dramatizations of the events surrounding the events are portrayed by the original film's director's son.

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. - This is not a movie about Holocaust denial as much as it is to the examination of the psyche of outsider, and general weirdo, Fred A. Leuchter Jr, a self-made execution expert. The protagonist misinterprets the results of a study and finds himself an extremely polarizing figure.

Sicko - Like him or not, Michael Moore seems incapable of making a picture that isn't interesting to watch all the way through. In this movie, though his cherry-picking and stunting tactics are in full-effect, I must admit he won me over to a large degree in making his case for universal health care. Moore's visual style are always great to watch, as well as highly influential if one compares his documentaries to those of previous decades.




* - library only.
All of these movies are available online except for those marked by a '*'.

Good book spree

Penny Says: Sharing is the best way to celebrate a good book spree

--Fiction that has been eating up all my time as of late--

Douglas Coupland - his latest - The Gum Thief - was a great before-Christmas-break book that reminded me of how a complex life is actually simple and that everyone needs to share their creative fantasy with someone. All of his books are great and worth at least 2 full read-throughs (best read 3 years apart). Miss Wyoming is the one I have to yet read (but I was kindly given it this Christmas) I have been saving it like a precious jewel to provide cheer on a rainy day. My favorite to date is Coupland's Life after God - an tale of how semi-regular people get by in our secular society.

For those in your life that are hard-to-buy-for or have everything consider, coffee table books like Coupland's Souvenir from Canada (1 and 2) or The life of a Canadian Terry Fox. Coupland and Fox were children together in North Vancouver and Coupland is currently working on a tribute park in Toronto in Terry's honor. Of course, the tv Series JPod is a must see on my list. The book JPod was stimulating tech-y and leaves you with a slight case of Attention Deficit Disorder, but truly a entertaining experience for all readers. The series JPod is true to its roots in plot and character development and yet I am always wondering what will happen next (again the book is so fast paced that another read-through or watching the series will reveal plot twists you mist the first time). If you want to watch the series on the internet and you are currently in Canada - go to JPod on CBC and wait patiently as the page loads then click watch full episodes start from the beginning or just click on the ones you have missed, sit back and enjoy commercial free viewing.

A while back I stumbled on to a couple of authors that seem to really understand what it is like to be a 20-something in the 2000's. Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have teamed up to write 3 novels that are a must read for all born in the late seventies or early eighties (ok the rest of you can read them too). These girls take life by the horns but remember to smell the flowers along the way. The Nanny Diaries (2002), Citizen Girl (2004), and Dedication(2007) are all fast paced, life experiences that provide a little insight and perspective to the unkind world of the adult. These writers are truly great examples of how a chance meeting in university can create a successful duo that makes a living doing what they love. I'm kinda jealous that I have not yet found such success - but as these girls would tell you - there is still time!

Here is a clip from Citizen Girl to stimulate the appetite.
on the front cover there is a news-clipping type image reading as follows.
" *Seeking* Qualified applicants looking to build their careers on sand. Requirements: a bachelor's degree worth a fraction of the debt you incurred. One to two years of clerical experience working for a deranged harridan who has sucked your very life force. Fluency in at least two major jargons. Must be resourceful, flexible, action oriented, stress tolerant, enthusiastic, and desperate. Primary responsibilities include: figuring out just what we've hired you to do; working closely with no one for clients we'll never identify, and a practice we'll never commit to. All interested email your integrity to www.mycompany.com"
From Citizen Girl 2004

Perhaps you can now see why this book gave me a giggle.
After a full year of job hunting I have finally found something that might lead to a position that I will enjoy..... Who knew being a grown-up would be so hard!!! It doesn't surprise me that no one talks about when they were getting started - they have blocked out the dreadful parts of their life history.

Spring has sprung its bulbs from the ground here on the west coast and we are all enjoying the splash of color in all the gardens.... A few hours of sunshine does wonders for a bad day, month, or year. A walk on the beach might even be able to prevent a future bad day - especially when coupled with a good book!

Who are your favorite authors - leave a comment and let me know I am always on the look for another great book!

Art Film: Bergman and Herzog

Pacey says:

I haven't seen all of the movies by these two directors, but I've seen a good selection of their reputable classic films. These two artists appear to approach film from two very different angles, and it may in some way reflect each one's ability to dream. Ingmar Bergman, reportedly, gets many of the ideas for filmography from his rich dreaming habits, whereas Werner Herzog self reports that he is incapable of dreaming. An insight can be reached in each directors state of mind while understanding their films.

Bergman movies -- (I've seen include Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona, Passion of Anna, and Cries and Whispers). In some of these movies, the protagonist often drift into dreams where they sort out internal conflicts, where characters have blurred roles in the film's reality and the scenery becomes oddly structured. Flashbacks are often used in the plots, and some movies even create scenes of seemingly uncorrelated nonsense. One who dreams can somewhat appreciate the episodic impressionism of the dreamlike movies of Bergman.

Herzog movies -- (I've seen Aguirre, The Enigma of Kasper Hauser, Stroszek and have Heart of Glass and Fitzcarraldo signed out from the library). Herzog movies tend to be extraordinarily realistic, where the actors themselves become characters in the movie in a personal way. Consider Aguirre, where the movie was shot in chronological order while the actors actually built and carried boats on location in Peru and sailed the Amazon. And consider Kasper Hauser, where Herzog actually located someone who can (in some ways) be considered a feral child (Bruno S.) to play a feral child Kasper Hauser. In Heart of Glass, in order to have the actors appear disoriented, Herzog had the cast hypnotized before acting each scene. In perhaps the most daring movie ever made, the actors of Fitzarraldo physically carried a 320 ton steamboat over a mountain from one river to another. In these movies, acting and reality are often one in the same.



Perhaps one can consider that Bergman uses his dreamstate as a crutch, although he does use that crutch with impeccable skill. Conversely, the lack of dream perhaps drives Herzog to create an ultra-reality. In both cases, however, these movies are not for your average Hollywood moviegoer, and I think these directors have made these movies as self-conscious personal artistic documents without much regard for profitability (although many of these films have become part of the canon of classic cinema).


Take your Valentine to experience the movie aesthetic, Hollywood or otherwise.